Texans see Schaub develop into leader

By Randy Harvey

Updated
8:22 am CDT, Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) shook off some stout hits by the Broncos to throw for 290 yards and four touchdowns - each to a different receiver - Sunday. Schaub's leadership role was evident in the win over Denver. less

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) shook off some stout hits by the Broncos to throw for 290 yards and four touchdowns - each to a different receiver - Sunday. Schaub's leadership role was evident in the win ... more

Photo: Brett Coomer

Photo: Brett Coomer

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Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) shook off some stout hits by the Broncos to throw for 290 yards and four touchdowns - each to a different receiver - Sunday. Schaub's leadership role was evident in the win over Denver. less

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub (8) shook off some stout hits by the Broncos to throw for 290 yards and four touchdowns - each to a different receiver - Sunday. Schaub's leadership role was evident in the win ... more

Photo: Brett Coomer

Texans see Schaub develop into leader

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If you're a Texans fan, you might have had nightmares Sunday night after watching them almost cough up a 20-point lead in the final 10 minutes.

Peyton Manning threw two touchdown passes before time ran out on him and the Denver Broncos, not a minute too soon for the Texans in a 31-25 victory.

What you might not recall so vividly was the first half didn't end so well for the Texans, either. This wasn't because Manning suddenly remembered he was Manning. Denver fans would have to wait a couple of more quarters for that. This was because Matt Schaub forgot he wasn't Manning.

The Texans were leading 21-8 and looking for more, driving from their 16-yard line to the Denver 38 with 44 seconds remaining. Facing third-and-9, they didn't need a first down to put Shayne Graham in field-goal range. This game, remember, was in the stadium that has Mile High as part of its name.

But Schaub, perhaps inspired by earlier throws in the thin air that made him look like Dan Marino, tried out his new cannon on a pass downfield to wide receiver Kevin Walter, who was not open on the sideline. Defensive back Wesley Woodyard had him covered, intercepted and might have gone for a touchdown if he hadn't scraped the sideline with his foot.

The Broncos turned the opportunity into a field goal and trailed at halftime by 10 instead of 13 or more.

When Schaub returned to the sideline after the interception, coach Gary Kubiak turned his back.

Those are the plays that get you beat in the NFL. One reason the Texans haven't been beaten through three games is because they rarely make them. In the first two games, both 20-point victories, Schaub wasn't intercepted and was sacked only twice. Neither did the Texans lose a fumble.

Some quarterbacks might have let the mistake rattle them. This guy wasn't rattled in the third quarter when he was on the passer end of two consecutive roughing-the-passer penalties, the latter by linebacker Joe Mays so violent it tore off Schaub's helmet, taking a piece of his ear with it.

Sports Illustrated's Peter King on Monday called him Matt Van Gogh. Funny. But Schaub isn't looking at an empty canvas when he's playing against a defense like Denver's.

Schaub went to the sideline - mandatory this season for players who lose their helmets - and returned one play later after the doctor told him he could.

He finished that drive by taking the Texans downfield for a field goal and two series later took them on a 72-yard, five-play drive that resulted in his fourth touchdown pass of the day and a 31-11 lead.

"When your quarterback plays like that, you have a chance to win every time,'' Kubiak said Monday.

That's the reason Schaub makes the big bucks. Literally. The Texans gave him a four-year contract extension when the regular season began, sending a message to his teammates that he's the leader for now and beyond. But it's not until a game like Sunday that you know they know he's the man. Left tackle Duane Brown said he told Schaub that on five occasions Sunday.

"I've been telling people for a long time that he's an elite quarterback and we have to put him up there with the best in the league,'' Brown said. "He showed it today. He stood in the pocket, took some brutal shots and never blinked.''

There were no arguments from the players when Kubiak gave Schaub the game ball.

Tough enough

"It just shows the type leader and type player Matt Schaub is,'' left guard Wade Smith said. "He took a play off, mandatory, came back out there and led us to a 'W.' ''

All in a day's work, Schaub said, as if everyone comes home from the office missing a piece of his ear.

"It's the ultimate when your teammates feel that way about you,'' Schaub said. "It's just me being the quarterback - you know, I have to be out there every play. You're going to get hit in this league, and you just have to take it and go.''